by the CPJ Auxilary Team
Danbert Nobacon performing at the Solidarity Rally, photo by Sako Chapman
(Evergreen, WA ) – A second call was put out last night by the Evergreen Gaza Solidarity Encampment for another rally today, April 30th, at 11am, to continue the momentum of campus support for Palestine. This came after exciting progress was made between the bargaining team made of Evergreen students and administration, with visions of meeting their demands of divestment by the college.
A crowd of over 50 people, consisting of Evergreen students and some wider Olympia community members, gathered at the Red Square, mingling with feelings of anxiety and anticipation. It was soon announced that fresh from his perfomance on KAOS this morning, Danbert Nobacon, a member from the music group Chumbawamba, would perform during the rally.
The rally began around 12 with an update from last night’s bargaining meeting, which then continued into chanting. Speakers and crowd members chanted in solidarity, calling for divestment, no Israeli funding for the college, safer housing and more. These voices were also meant to further push the ambitions of the bargaining team, as they were in the middle of another meeting with administration during the rally.
Later on, Nobacon came out to perform. He began with a short speech, speaking on his experiences with Evergreen and his solidarity with students in the encampment and other commitment to pressuring Evergreen’s divestment. He then sang two songs, which focused on world peace, and changed his lyrics, saying “ceasefire now”, which earned exuberant cheers and applause from the crowd. Later on, a CPJ staff member was able to get a word with Nobacon, asking for his views on the encampment. He expressed that although he wasn’t surprised that an encampment was built at Evergreen, he is excited for this movement coming to the college, and congratulating the youth for taking monumental stands, saying that often Western propaganda both in the U.S and U.K, where he is from, has a hold on many people, and it is refreshing to see that students are taking part in creating new narratives.
During the rally, speeches from multiple students took place. One delved into the history of the Chilean chant of “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”, explaining that the common translation of “The people united will never be divided” separated the chant’s translation in refusing defeat. The speaker continued to explain how the translation of “Desde el río hasta el mar, Palestina vencerá” emphasizes the inevitable act of Palestine being “victorious”. Another speech honored the memory of Rachel Corrie by sharing her emails from her parents. A summary of the current demands, as well as a faculty letter written in solidarity with the students holding down the encampment, was also read aloud.
The bargaining team returned to report their progress at 2:15 PM, receiving cheers and chants of “TESC! Divest! We will not stop we will not rest! As they approached the microphone. They spoke to the crowd about the positive direction negotiations have been going in- TESC has agreed to create disappearing task forces in order to examine the college’s stock portfolio as well as halt study abroad trips to occupied Palestine, among other concessions that will give students more control over policing on campus.
One member of the crowd voiced tangible concern over worries about the length of time it may take for divestment to occur, as well as interrogating the efficacy of committees within the college or GSU as a tactic. A member of the team presenting the information reassured them that divestment as a legal process is meant to take more than a day, or even a week, and that those involved in bargaining acknowledge the frustration about lack of immediate results while also being sure that this process will indeed yield the results students would like to see in the end. The crowd of students who has been working with the encampment from the beginning began to cheer, dance, and hug each other, chanting now with renewed energy: “I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”
After the bargaining team’s update, local Indigenous activist Lennée Reid read out some of her original poetry, and finished out the rally with a rousing rendition of the Puyallup Tribe’s “Women’s Warrior Song”.
Bargaining is optimistic to wrap by tonight, with great results, on Tuesday, April 30.
You must be logged in to post a comment.